17 Computers Stolen from Manchester Elementary School

The computers and two overhead projectors were stolen sometime between Friday and Tuesday.

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Parents in Manchester were on edge on Tuesday night after crooks broke into Bowers Elementary School and stole almost 20 expensive computers.

Supt. Richard Kisiel said someone left a window unlocked at the school during the holiday weekend and that’s how the crooks got inside.

The thefts were not reported until the principal showed up on Tuesday morning and discovered that the equipment was missing.

"I am angry, but I think I'm more worried than angry because I have two little kids here," Teresa Quintana said. "That is sad, you know. The concern for me is how safe the kids are. We don’t know how that happened."

She said her children were the victims because the electronics they depended on for learning are now gone.

District officials said the thieves got away with 17 Apple computers, most of which were from the library. A small number of the thefts happened in classrooms as well.

Replacing the stolen computers will cost the district $20,000.

"It's kind of sick when you think about it that someone would break into an elementary school and steal the computers," said Mike Crockett, a board of education member.

It was easy for the crooks to get away with the computers because, like most schools in Manchester, Bowers doesn't have an alarm system.

It does have security cameras, but they are only outside by certain doors in areas the culprits avoided.

"It looks to me they knew what they were doing," Crockett added.

He also said the Board of Education would take steps to make sure something like this would not happen again.

The superintendent said insurance should cover most of the cost for the new computers. Until the new ones arrive, there are still enough computers at Bowers Elementary for students to use.